This book will examine all aspects of the relationship between the blind and the rest of society within the framework of the attitudes that represent a most productive area of social psychology. The reader will learn that historic figures did not consider their blindness a hindrance to their achievements, be they famous literary personalities or Nobel Prize Laureate. The lives of outstanding blind persons such as Democritus, al-Maarri, Dühring, Rodrigo, Dalén, Borges, Ostrovsky and even Ray Charles, will be examined while placing blindness and the blind at the center of social relationships, utilizing rich historical presentations and comprehensive analysis. This book will be of interest to many professionals, educators, historians, social scientists and general readers.

This book will examine all aspects of the relationship between the blind and the rest of society within the framework of the attitudes that represent a most productive area of social psychology. The reader will learn that historic figures did not consider their blindness a hindrance to their achievements, be they famous literary personalities or Nobel Prize Laureate. The lives of outstanding blind persons such as Democritus, al-Maarri, Dühring, Rodrigo, Dalén, Borges, Ostrovsky and even Ray Charles, will be examined while placing blindness and the blind at the center of social relationships, utilizing rich historical presentations and comprehensive analysis. This book will be of interest to many professionals, educators, historians, social scientists and general readers.

A topic ignored in mainstream scientific inquiry for decades, wisdom is beginning to return to the place of reverence that it held in ancient schools of intellectual study. A Handbook of Wisdom, first published in 2005, explores wisdom's promise for helping scholars and lay people to understand the apex of human thought and behavior. At a time when poor choices are being made by notably intelligent and powerful individuals, this book presents analysis and review on a form of reasoning and decision-making that is not only productive and prudent, but also serves a beneficial purpose for society. A Handbook of Wisdom is a collection of chapters from some of the most prominent scholars in the field of wisdom research. Written from multiple perspectives, including psychology, philosophy, and religion, this book gives the reader an in-depth understanding of wisdom's past, present, and possible future direction within literature, science, and society.

This superb new volume is addressed to everyone interested in hope, regardless of their religious or philosophical beliefs. Glenn Tinder, one of our most astute and creative thinkers, probes the failure of modern, secular hope and shows, with great sensitivity and openness, why the tenets of Christian faith offer a true and meaningful source for hope amid the widespread distress, confusion, and despondency of contemporary life. From The Critics Jean Bethke Elshtain Glenn Tinder argues compellingly that modern despondency flows from a collapse of unreasonable optimism about our individual and collective prospects. By contrast to despondency and brittle optimism, Tinder calls for a renewal of hope. Framed by Christian belief, Tinder's elegant essay reaches out to appeal to all men and women troubled by our current condition. A beautifully written and touching work. Michael Novak Tinder's weighty essay on the nature, spirituality, and politics of hope offers an illuminating perspective on a central pillar of civilization. Mary Ann Glendon "A pristine intellectual and spiritual achievement by one of the most penetrating thinkers. of our day" Richard John Neuhaus "With this essay Tinder once again vindicated his reputation as one of the most incisive thinkers and graceful writers working today. His is a most powerful argument that only a hope that has come to terms with all the reasons for despair can sustain us into a future that we do not and cannot control. Tinder's wisdom is in knowing that attention to first things requires facing up to last things."

Reprint of the original, first published in 1842.

John J. Stuhr, a leading voice in American philosophy, sets forth a view of pragmatism as a personal work of art or fashion. Stuhr develops his pragmatism by putting pluralism forward, setting aside absolutism and nihilism, opening new perspectives on democracy, and focusing on love. He creates a space for a philosophy that is liable to failure and that is experimental, pluralist, relativist, radically empirical, radically democratic, and absurd. Full color illustrations enhance this lyrical commitment to a new version of pragmatism.